Ink Stains Games, the developers behind the upcoming roguelike RPG Stoneshard, have been busy lately with a closed alpha for their game. And with that out of the way, they bring us a new Kickstarter update where they talk about transitioning into closed beta and list a number of features they currently plan to add to Stoneshard. Have a look:

Hello!

For the past month and a half we were very silent since we were busy preparing, releasing and supporting closed alpha test. Because of this we didn’t have enough time to develop new features, and thus there was nothing to tell you about. Today we’ve released the last patch for alpha version, which means we’re back into action again! Therefore, today's devdiary is an filler one - we'll talk about alpha test results and plans for the future.

In general, we’re pleased with how the alpha test went. Despite the limited content, every 10th player spent 10+ hours playing the game, and we’ve also collected lots of suggestions and ideas - that we’ll try to consider during further development. Soon we’ll also send another devpoll to our alpha testers in order to get a detailed feedback on all the aspects we're interested in.

The next step in our plan is the transition to the closed beta, which we intend to launch in a few months, late spring or summer. It is unclear how much we’ll be able to fit in a few months, but the minimum roadmap looks like this:

Transferring to a new engine’s version and then fixing related bugs and crashes

Adding at least half of the abilities for the most part of planned skill branches

Adding all the non-yet implemented types of weapons and equipment

Complete rework of the dual weapon combat mechanics

Finalization of the ranged combat

Some new dungeons

Additional content

Many minor improvements and fixes that take too long to list (such as barter system for trade, for instance)

We may also have time to add a new settlement and a number of new game systems, but it isn’t set in stone, so the list above is currently the most realistic.

That's all. In the near future, expect regular devlogs on a variety of topics - including, for example, some details about game’s lore. Also, take a look at our new key art, featuring some of the game's key characters[...]